(a) The ballots of the primary election shall be provided by the county board of election commissioners. The form of the ballots shall be the same as is provided by law for ballots in general elections in this state. A different color ballot may be used to distinguish between political parties.
(b)
(1) The order in which the names of the respective candidates are to appear on the ballots at all preferential and general primary elections shall be determined by lot at the public meeting of the county board of election commissioners held not later than:
(A) Seventy-two (72) days before a preferential primary election that is held in May under § 7-7-203; and
(B) Eighty-nine (89) days before a preferential primary election that is held in March under § 7-7-203.
(2) The county board of election commissioners shall give at least ten (10) days' written notice of the time and place of the meeting to the chairs of the county committees if the chairs are not members of the county board of election commissioners, and at least three (3) days before the meeting, shall publish notice of the time and place of holding the meeting in some newspaper of general circulation in the county.
(c)
(1)
(A) A person who files for an elective office in this state may use not more than three (3) given names, one (1) of which may be a nickname or any other word used to identify the person to the voters, and may add as a prefix to his or her name the title or an abbreviation of an elective public office the person currently holds.
(B) A person may use as the prefix the title of a nonpartisan judicial office in an election for a nonpartisan judicial office only if:
(i) The person is currently serving in a nonpartisan judicial office to which the person has been elected in the last election for the office; or
(ii) The person:
(a) Is a candidate for the office of circuit judge or district judge;
(b) Is currently serving in the office of circuit judge or district judge as an appointee; and
(c) Has been serving in that position for at least twelve (12) months.
(C) A nickname shall not include a professional or honorary title.
(2) The person filing for office shall include his or her surname in addition to any given names permitted under subdivision (c)(1)(A) of this section.
(3) The names and titles as proposed to be used by each candidate on the political practices pledge or, if the political practices pledge is not filed by the filing deadline, then the names and titles that appear on the party certificate shall be reviewed no later than one (1) business day after the filing deadline by the Secretary of State for state and district offices and by the county board of election commissioners for county, township, school, and municipal offices.
(4)
(A) The name of every candidate shall be printed on the ballot in the form as certified by either the Secretary of State or the county board of election commissioners.
(B) However, the county board of election commissioners may substitute an abbreviated title if the ballot lacks space for the title requested by a candidate.
(C) The county board of election commissioners shall immediately notify a candidate whose requested title is abbreviated by the county board of election commissioners.
(5) A candidate shall not be permitted to change the form in which his or her name will be printed on the ballot after the deadline for filing the political practices pledge.